Hi folks!

The first car I learned to drive stick on was an 82 Toyota Tercel that belonged to my then fiancée. Years went by and, in the process, I owned a brand new 88 4-door Tercel and my fiancée became my wife... and more years went by and my wife became my ex-wife.

Anyhow, I used her '82 Tercel as my daily driver until I sold it for $1,000 to a med student. I also bought a brand new '88 4-door Tercel which I sold when we had our third child.

Both Tercels are long gone but this weekend I'm going down to see an '82 Tercel SR5, 2 door hatchback. The seller says the following about the car:

1982 TOYOTA TERCEL SR5 5spd, newer all season tires, alloy wheels, good engine/trans, good glass, needs parking brake cable and some bodywork (rust) to safety. very fun car, excelent in winter. 300.00. obo.

Having owned a non-SR5 Tercel I can attest to it being a good winter car. I called the owner and he says the rust ain't too bad and I've certainly done my share of rust repair on my '82 Tercel so I'm not too concerned.

My question is this... what issues should I be looking for when buying an SR5?

I look forward to your replies.

Welcome fellow 1st-Genner! There are not too many of us left. Just to let you know there was a recall on the lower control arms for the 1st gens due to corrision, so itf you are looking to use it as a winter vehicle, watch out.

Summary:
THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS, WHICH SUPPORT THE REAR WHEELS, ARE SUBJECT TO CORROSION IF OPERATED IN AREAS WHERE A LARGE AMOUNT OF ROAD SALT IS USED TO AID IN SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO ROAD SALT MAY CAUSE CORROSION FAILURE OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARM AFFECTING VEHICLE OPERATION; THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.

Remedy:
RUST PROOF OR REPLACE LOWER CONTROL ARMS. (OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BEGIN IN MAY 1986).

Component Affected:
SUSPENSION:REAR